T a t t o o s

What is a tattoo?

A tattoo is a punctured wound made deep into your skin that it filled with ink. It's made by penetrating your skin with a needle and injecting ink into the area, usually making some sort of a design.

What makes them permanent?

The ink is injected into the dermis, the second deepest layer of skin. It cannot be in

the epidermis because that is the layer of the skin that is constantly being renewed and therefore the tattoo would not be permanent. The dermis cells are more stable which helps make the tattoo permanent.

What are the ink colors made out of?

The materials used in the ink vary upon color as all are made out of different compounds to form pigments. There are generally a few different colors but they too can be thinned or mixed together to form other colors or shades. Most tattoo artists buy pre-made ink, while some used a dry pigment and a carrier.

Tattoo Ink Materials
- Blue - Calcium Copper Silicate
- Red - Iron Oxide
- Green - Chromium Oxide
- Yellow - Curcuma
- Black - Carbon
- White - Zinc Oxide
Typical Carriers
- Ethyl Alcohol
- Water
- Denatured Alcohols
- Methanol
- Rubbing Alcohol

Can tattoos be removed?

Dermabrasion - is a very painful surgery where the top layers of skin are sanded off as a method of removing the ink from the body. This is a method that usually requires repeated sessions of dermabrasion because tattoo ink is usually injected into the lower layers of the skin. There are no major side effects besides scarring of the area of the tattoo removed.
Cryotherapy -is a procedure where liquid nitrogen is applied to the skin where the tattoo is located. It then freezes on the skin. This causes the skin to start to peel. This procedure is not that painful but does causes some discomfort.
Laser Surgery - is extremely painful though it is the most common method of tattoo removal. They work by targeting the ink with pulses of highly concentrated light that break the ink into tiny fragments, which are then cleared away the body's immune system. The more treatments you have, the more the laser can penetrate to destroy the ink. That is to say, the more treatment you have, the more likely chance of developing blisters and/or scars.